Shawna Cantiliano hugs a classmate whose Nintendo was stolen. Photo: Kasey Freire's FB page
ANTIOCH, Calif. - Shawna Cantiliano was tired of being bystanders this holiday season.
The junior at Antioch High School said she noticed a white board message from one of her classmates at begging whomever stole his beloved Nintendo 3D from his locker to give it back.
This wasn’t just any video game. Her classmate, a shy sophomore, used it as a literal defense to block all the bullies in school.
“He was a very shy and sweet introvert and into video games,” she told KTVU on Friday. “I always see that kid playing on his DS, ignoring all of his bullies.”
Shawna wanted to help.
So, she and her friend, Piper Stowe, took it upon themselves to raise money for a new DS for their classmate.
In a span of two days, their Go Fund Me page received nearly $170. The history teacher pitched in the rest.
This week, Piper’s sister, Kasey Freire, posted a video on Facebook on Thursday, showing Shawna and Piper waltzing into the boy’s class to hand him the money to buy a new video game. The post has 1,400 shares so far.
The video captures the moment their classmate boy burst into tears and grasped Shawna into a bear hug. “You are an angel from God,” he told her. He had prayed the night before that his DS would be returned. He kissed her cheek several times.
Shawna said she’s never seen him look that happy. And she’s glad she played a small part in his happiness, 10 days before Christmas.
“All of these acts of kindness are lacking in society,” she said. “I do not see people doing small acts of kindness. It made me feel so great to give back and make the difference in this world.”